Breathe With Me

Author: NewMoonFlicker

Summary: "He would have to be cruel in order to be kind, re-teaching lessons his brother never should have had stripped away from him – that there were some people he did not need ever fear."

Disclaimer: FullMetal Alchemist isn't mine! I write for the pleasure of my own mind (warped as it is :3) and am making no money off this. ((grumble)) Darn legal system...

Warnings: Lots of angst and brotherly fluff – tissue alert! (For later more than now.) You have been warned. This story does deal with rape and is slightly on the graphic side – references particular injuries and a teeny tiny bit of what actually happened – but I did not take this lightly and tried to handle it with the utmost of care and concern. (There is a reason why I spent over a month on twenty pages!) But please, if this bothers you, don't read this story.

Feedback: Any thoughts or constructive criticism will all be taken and cherished.

Music Recommendations: Yeah, I'm weird but I listen to music every time I write, helps me focus. If you happen to be the same, there are three songs I eventually put on repeat to write by - they helped a lot and add to the mood of the story. They are "It's Been A While" and "Right Here Waiting" by Staind, and "Remember (IOU)" by Big Dismal. (I found them all on YouTube as well) I'd highly recommend listening to them while reading!

For Danielle and Star

(I wrote this in response to a conversation we had about Ed and Al – Dani inspired me to write this, Star made me finish it. This is for you both! I love you guys!!)

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy!


Ed shook out of his daze when the sound of a coat being taken from the rack touched his ears. The book he had been reading slid down a few inches, allowing into his view the scene taking place before him.

"And where are you going?" Ed smiled slightly as he watched his little brother shrug into one of his own long overcoats.

"To get dinner." Al nonchalantly answered, straightening the collar as he walked over to Ed's side. "You've barely moved from that spot for over four hours and I know how you'll get when your stomach finally catches the attention of your brain."

Al could not help but laugh when Ed took a playful swing at his head.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Ed kept a finger to his page and flipped the book shut, letting it rest in his lap. "It's just a-"

"-Good book. Always is, brother." Al smiled playfully, nudging the hardback cover open again. "Here, you're only..." he scanned the page Ed had been reading and flipped ahead, searching for a chapter break. Ten or twelve pages later, he found one, tapping it lightly with his finger. "... this far from the end of the chapter. I bet I can be home with food by the time you finish."

The market wasn't far at all; Al had already made several trips with Ed over the past few days and had picked up on the general activity. Ed nodded his agreement. "Fair enough. You sure you want to go alone?"

Al shrugged. "I think I could handle buying a few sausages."

Ed flipped the pages of his book back to the page he had been reading and jerked it out of Al's reach. "All right, get going then!"

"Don't read ahead, brother." Al warned as he opened the front door.

"Don't get lost." Came the retort.

Ed could hear Al chuckle as he shut the door behind him and walked away. Sighing and shaking his head, Ed settled down in his chair again and continued his interrupted reading, smiling softly at the thought of hot food on such a cold night.

OoOoOoO

Al thanked the man behind the counter and carefully rolled up the bag of the promised food for the walk home. The wind had picked up since he'd been gone; its chill touch made Al wish he were already home as he pushed the store's door aside. Safely tucking his quarry under his arm, Al pressed into the wind and began the ten minute walk back.

This venture had taken longer than he had originally supposed. Al had quickly discovered he wasn't the only one out that night.

The sky was full of thick black clouds, urged together through the strength of the wind. He turned up the collar of his brother's long coat, grateful for the additional guard against the cold. Eager to be back, even if it meant enduring Ed's teasing for being late, Al quickened his pace. Ed was most definitely done with that chapter by now.

As he rounded a corner, telling him he was less than two blocks away from his destination, Al suddenly stopped.

The air around him had shifted, nearly silent though he should have received a full blast in the face from his positioning. The whistling tune he had been forced to endure since leaving the shop fell silent. It was quiet. Somewhere in the distance, Al made out a gentle rumble of thunder.

Something small and wet tapped against his nose, then his hand. Al studied the droplets a moment before lifting his gaze to the heavens. Another hit him between the eyes, more fell into his hair. The storm was starting; Al knew he had mere minutes before he would be caught in it. Shaking his head against his own nervousness and adjusting the small package more comfortably against his side (the only part of him still warm) and stepped forward again.

Al felt a hand grab his shoulder and jerk him back, swinging him partly around in surprise. He found himself facing a man he had never seen before. Al tried to retake his arm back for his own control, figuring this man had stopped him for help of some sort. He tried, but found he could not. Confused, Al turned further around.

In the darkness of the alleyway and in the warning of ever increasing rain, the only defining feature Al could make out of this man was his eyes. They were deep and penetrating, the darkest blue he had ever seen shot through with silver, eyes that were locking onto his own in a near frightening way. Al resisted the urge to shudder and made another attempt to back away. "Can I help you?" He questioned softly, already not liking the presence he was caught in and wishing to be out of it as fast as possible.

"I think you can," the man answered, his voice deep and rich. Al probably would have liked hearing that voice had the circumstances been different. But right now, it was making him nervous.

Those eyes glinted, too close for comfort. Al again tried to remove his arm from the man's iron grip. He could smell liquor and grimaced slightly at it.

"Let me go," he requested, his voice shaking more than he would have liked.

"Can't do that, kid. You have to come with me." The hand gripping his upper arm pulled him back in the direction he had come, deeper into the alley.

Al resisted, halting them both as he dug one heel into the ground, liking the situation less and less. "Go where? Who are you?"

"Who am I?" The man chuckled a little, as though rolling the question over on his tongue. "I'm sure that's not nearly as important as who you are."

"Who I...?"

The man stopped, turning Al around until the boy had his back toward the brick building marking one side of the alley. A brief flash of lightning ripped through the air over the building in front of Al, a low rumble of thunder following it. The rain was falling harder every passing minute; Al was soaked, he could only assume this man was as well.

"Your dark eyes... dark hair." Eyes studied him again, never wavering, locking onto him. One large hand suddenly cupped his chin; Al winced at the touch but could not back away; he was cornered. The hand slid back over his jaw and against his hair, finding a loose hold on his ponytail; the man pulled it forward over Al's shoulder, fingering the strands almost thoughtfully.

Al's eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened, reviling this man's hand.

"You really shouldn't walk alone at night, especially if you have some of the looks you do. Haven't you learned that yet, kid?" the hand around Al's arm was growing tighter. "That and you're looking at me now like a fighter would... that just won't do."

"I don't want to fight you." Al told him, his arm tensing against the unwanted grip. "Let me go. My brother – he's waiting for me to come home-"

"You aren't listening. This is Germany, in Germany I am the fighter and you must learn to yield. I can't let you wander the streets in false confidence. Right now... I have to teach you to be submissive. Understand?"

Al jerked harder, nearly caught the man's grip unaware. The bag he had tucked underneath his free arm fell to the ground. He knew now. He looked up at that man whose eyes did not leave his own, glaring down at him now in open hate. From that moment they knew each other as enemies. "No!"

The wind suddenly cut short against his back; without even looking behind himself Al's neck began to burn, another unfamiliar presence alerted his consciousness and he froze. Hands slammed onto his shoulders from behind and held him tight. A new person, a new attacker, cutting off nearly all exits he could have made for himself. Al had no weapons, no means of protecting himself beyond his own fists. Alchemy was no longer an option, in this world there was no such thing.

Al almost stopped breathing. He was surrounded.

"Take him." The man ordered the one behind Al, pointing down the alleyway – deeper into the darkness. A grunt was the only reply, but from that alone Al could tell this one was also male.

They were going to take him away and hurt him... instinct took over and Al fought back. These men may have been older than him and probably twice his size, but they hadn't been careful enough. His hands were still free.

Al balled a fist, lifted it up, and rammed his elbow into the unsuspecting ribs of the man behind him. The hands on his shoulders loosened in surprise, accompanied by a gasp of pain. Seizing his chance, Al thrust the palm of his hand into the face in front of him, smashing into the man's nose. Al could feel the bone crunch beneath his fingers. Desperate now, Al drove his hand once, twice, three times into that man's side.

"Let me go! I'm not going anywhere w-"

A vicious punch to the back of his head caused Al to stagger and his voice to cut short; pain bore a way into his skull and his vision blurred. Al barely had time to register the attack before he was forcefully spun around to face the other man. His vision had not yet cleared; he could make out no apparent detail with this one. But one thing he did notice and recognize a moment before it was in motion – the silver glint of a double edged knife. The man grabbed him around the neck, and in seething rage drove that knife into the flesh of Al's left leg. It sunk down to the hilt, in one side of his leg and out the other, scraping against bone halfway through.

Al screamed.

A hand – he wasn't sure whose- slapped over his mouth, muffling the cry. "Shut up! Just shut up! You'll pay for that... you'll pay for trying to fight. I'll make you pay with everything you've got!" his voice sounded clogged. He swore, pressing his hand down over Al's mouth all the harder, nearly cutting off all air supply. Al had broken his nose, he was bleeding.

"Couldn't just take it, could you? Couldn't just take it... I'll make you pay..." The words floated in and out of Al's hearing. He almost couldn't breathe. Pain shot up through his leg, paralyzing him, slowly forcing him to collapse to the ground.

Al felt his head hit the concrete, rain pounding on his face and body, all around him, mixing with his sob-less tears, claiming all the sound his ears would allow. The knife was still trapped in his leg; its owner had released the handle. He lay motionless, yet somehow still conscious, still breathing.

Though it would not be long before he wished it was otherwise.

Al knew the moment when he felt their hands on him again, even though he had long since shut his eyes. He remembered hearing the soft sound of tearing clothing as someone ripped open both his jacket and shirt, the angry murmur of their voices as they threatened him, promised him that before long he would beg for the mercy of death... began to beat and kick him, the sounds muted an outsider's hearing through the pulsing rain. Though for Al, every strike amplified, twice as loud as it should have been.

Every minute he was conscious he fought against them, screamed against their hands until his voice was hoarse and his strength had faded. The pain of his weakening body only intensified as time wore on. The abuse tormented his young body; Al could feel ribs crack, bruises form, blood rise from his flesh in fountains and spill all over him. The bittersweet smell of it filled his nose, nearly made him sick. Their cruel laughter taunted him, searing him to the core.

He was learning, they told him. He was learning, and he would learn to be submissive to their whims of chill, repulsive pleasure.

It was not long before he felt hands around his waist, taking hold of his blood-soaked pants; tearing them away. He couldn't stop them, they had already stolen his strength, ripped his body apart... and began to tear into his heart.

Brother?

Pain. He had never known it like this before. And fear. It filled him, consumed him, wrapped around him like chains cut from despair. It was suffocating, choking him... too much time was going by, and it was warping everything, rearranging innocence into something gut-wrenching and ugly.

Brother... please... Brother... it hurts so much... I shouldn't be here; I should be at home, with you... I should be telling you to get your head out of that book I finished yesterday and make you eat with me... I should be getting ready for sleep, enjoy the feel of you ruffling my hair and then tease me about something... I should...

Al wasn't really awake anymore. He had wanted to run, to fight back, to be free of their clutches... but now he was so cold, so full of pain, lifeless dark eyes staring into the crying sky. The storm showed no signs of breaking and with that realization the hope of being saved dwindled away to nothing.

Brother... I came with you just so I could be with you... all the time we were apart, when I was stuck in that armor and when you were gone... I just wanted to be able to touch you and feel your life under my fingers, I wanted to stand by you and help you... but this isn't why I came... I can feel everything now and I wish I was back in the armor so I couldn't...

Weary tears fell down his face, escaped unnoticed under the cover of the rain and passed into his loose hair. Even though his eyes were open, his vision had begun to blacken.

I wouldn't be so weak if I was, I'm not as strong as you... you never did need to be reassured as much as me... God, Brother... they're still h-hurting me... Brother... Brother, where are you?

Am I going to die here... without you?

OoOoOoO

Ed jumped slightly as a crack of lightning lit up the room, setting the walls alight and the shadows seemed to come to life for a moment. He shook out of his daze and took a moment to sit up a bit straighter, shift and stretch his back, yawning slightly.

As he settled back down again, Ed reopened his book to begin reading again, but then stopped and shook his head. He flipped back one page, two pages, three pages... nine pages back he discovered the chapter break Al had pointed out before leaving. Ed couldn't help but laugh a little at himself. He had read right through it without even noticing.

"Wake up, dummy," he lectured himself, this wasn't the first time he had done something like this. He shut the book with a snap and set it aside.

Al was late then.

"You're going to go make me look for you, aren't you, Al?" Ed mumbled to no one in particular, rising from his chair. He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, willing the touch of fatigue to go away. He glanced out the window. Great. Rain.

Al shouldn't be out in that weather, he could catch cold. Ed kicked into his boots, shrugged into his other coat and a scarf, and grabbed an umbrella on his way out the door. Fierce wind greeted him the moment he stepped outside.

The street was otherwise silent. The weather had driven nearly everyone indoors, there was no way anyone would want to be out for long. Long since accustomed to the normal bustle of people, Ed noticed how unnaturally loud his footsteps sounded to his own ears. He made his way toward the market area, eager to find his little brother and return to the warmth of home.

The wind grated and howled against his ears, Ed wrapped the scarf tighter around his neck in some feeble attempt to trap more of his own body heat.

He arrived at the marketplace a short while later. It looked like nearly everyone shopping had either gone home or already trying to head home. Holding his coat closer, Ed turned into the first open store he came across, only to find it deserted of people. The next one was the same. He managed to catch it's keeper before the doors were locked, but the man had not seen Al.

His attempts were fruitless; Al was nowhere in sight and the storekeepers all said the same thing. They had not seen his little brother. Figuring that he had somehow missed Al coming home, Ed turned around and headed back. There was no way anyone would take this long to buy dinner; Al was probably at home now, trying to figure out where he was. Ed had to laugh at the thought.

Rain pelted the ground in waves; Ed yanked his coat around him tighter, starving off the chill for a bit longer. His gaze interchanged from the path ahead to the stone beneath his feet, watching everything and yet nothing on his walk back home.

So intent was he in this consistent battle that he almost bypassed it, about two blocks from home... a rain drenched paper bag, its contents spilling over the ground, right in the middle of the sidewalk. Ed quit his fidgeting and hesitated, looking down at the rumpled lump curiously. It was not unusual to find the remnants of some lazy person who didn't seem to understand the blessings of things like garbage cans, but it was unusual to find that this bag was not even remotely empty, but quite full.

Looking up and down the street, Ed found no one in sight. He looked back at the bag and knelt a little, reaching out and twisting a portion of the paper away. It fell apart in his hand, soaked clean through and completely useless, easily reviling it's contents for further inspection.

Ed froze, his heart beginning to beat a little faster as mild concern rose to slight fear.

It was food from one of the stores still some distance away, an assortment of meats he had grown very fond of during the last two years. He had introduced them to Al only a day ago, right after his brother had followed him to this side of the gate...

Ed shook his head. No, he was being paranoid. There was no way this forgotten sack of meat could have any connection to his brother. In all likelihood some mother had dropped it on her way home... it couldn't have anything to do with Al... right?

Standing again, Ed looked back down the street, leading toward the marketplace. Dimly lit, he couldn't make out much in such heavy rain. He looked back down at the bag, then down the street again, unsure, not knowing which path he should consider.

Just as he was about to step forward and leave the bag behind, some sound, so soft and weak, broke through the wind and rain to reach Ed's waiting ears. It was almost like a whimper, or a plea. Ed didn't even know if it was real, but something about it made him hesitate again, his right foot frozen halfway off the ground. To his left, Ed beheld an alleyway overcast and dark. He could make out almost nothing within it.

Senses suddenly taunt and alert, Ed turned and took a step forward. He left the street and entered the alley, looking through the darkness, searching silently. Seconds later, he heard something again, slightly louder; full of sadness... but this time he caught the sounds of something that sounded like laughter. There were people in here, and from the noise they made Ed knew they were fighting. Still, something about it made his blood run cold.

Lightning struck overhead, but did little to light up the alley. Ed quickly found that he had to rely more on his ears than his eyes. Keeping his back to the brick wall behind him, Ed side-stepped slowly. Inching his way toward the voices, He tried everything he could to not be caught.

Someone was in trouble. Through the rain he could make out painful, nearly lifeless sounds of distress and fear breaking through to reach him.

Ed inched closer, allowing his right hand to guide him along the wall. His left foot collided with something soft; he looked down, his foot backtracking half a pace. At his feet lay a torn piece of clothing; it looked like a frayed hem of a coat.

Ed looked back up in disbelief, his head jerking quickly as though he feared he had seen something he should not have. The rain dulled to a faint murmur in his ears, and suddenly all he could hear was the struggle; and as his eyes adjusted to the black of the alley, the dark shapes of men was all he could see.

Without even realizing it, his right hand tightened against the brick behind him, his left curling into a strong fist. He was close enough now; close enough to make out a measure of what was happening. The silhouettes in front of him were all locked in desperate struggle; none of its members had noted his silent approach. Two men, he gauged, holding down a third. The hissing of their voices and the repeated swinging of their arms told Ed they were in the middle of tormenting the one they had caught. One man at the target's head, holding both wrists against the cold ground with one hand and using the other to beat into his victim; his companion choosing to loom over their captive like a demon in human form and... and he... he was...

No...

Ed stopped breathing. This could not be.

He tried to grasp some real image of the one these two men had, and with the help of the lightning overhead, he managed a small glance. Wispy hair turned nearly black from the rain lay plastered against a pale forehead. Lifeless grey eyes did not reflect any light; mouth parted, letting the rain in.

But those eyes...

Ed clenched his eyes shut and ground his jaw.

Don't tell me... he begged to no one in particular. Please don't tell me that's...

A pitiful cry escaped through the lips of the face he had been watching; one choking, pleading word uttered (albeit several times already) as though wishing to answer a question never spoken out loud.

"... Brother..."

And Ed knew that voice. It woke him up.

A gut instinct he had long since laid to rest rose up from the silent ashes held deep inside the person he had once been; a rage, a seething wrath full of protective malice and unending anger erupted and burst from the cage it had been locked inside. In so little light and the ever pounding rain it was nearly impossible for anyone to see this change; to an observer, his eyes were calm and his manner unchanged, as though unaffected by what he was watching. But to a person who knew Ed well... they would have known to turn around and run like the devil was after them. Underneath the surface, a smoldering fire was bringing itself back to life, a dangerous force that was more than worthy to be reckoned with.

Then, like a dragon released from its prison, his calm façade was gone. Whatever had been holding him back had snapped. No one got away alive after causing someone so much pain... especially not to his family!

A cry tore though the alleyway, bouncing off the brick walls and shattering through the others. Two shadows jumped in surprise, the third remained limp on the ground. And a fourth jumped forward, a near wild look caught in his eyes.

"AL!!!"

OoOoOoO

Al barely even realized the moment when that man on top of him was gone, rain and cold taking his place. He could barely make out sounds, oddly familiar sounds, of shifting metal and a brutal cry of protest from a voice he would now never forget.

He opened his eyes, blinking against the rain, and caught sight of what looked like two men in a fight. Al shifted but was stopped sharply before he got anywhere; the man holding him down by his wrists was still there and in punishment his burly fingers intensified their chokehold bruisingly tight.

Al wanted to hit him. Wanted to barrel his fist and drive it in between those cold, heartless eyes, but he couldn't. His strength had long since failed him, drained from his body like the rain hitting the ground. He couldn't do anything while he lay petrified on his back. Even with his anger still alive newly born fear greatly outweighed the pull, slicking down his spine in horrifying shivers. He couldn't even bare to look directly into those eyes.

"Let me go..." he managed to ground out, his eyes shutting again, clenching his teeth against the pain pushing him closer to the edge.

The man laughed, swore at him tauntingly, spit viciously to the side and sneered under his breath. "So, your name's Al, huh? Don't you try to move then." He released his hold, and with one hand viciously snapped Al's head to the side.

Al winced at the rough handling and bit his tongue against his own retort that would have meant nothing anyway. He couldn't open his mouth at this point. But a sudden flare of pain shifted his thoughts to his body, his leg with the knife still embedded in him; that man had grabbed the hilt and jiggled it slightly, awakening white hot coals of a live fire. Al half growled, half groaned against the cruel treatment, but nothing could prepare him for that moment when the man suddenly yanked the knife free.

Al didn't scream that time. His breath snagged in his throat. He could feel his own flesh and muscle tear violently out of place, his own blood rising out of the gaping open wound to drain from him, mixing with the rain and pooling beneath his broken body. The last of the light faded from his eyes and he sunk into welcome darkness.

OoOoOoO

Ed grabbed the man on top of Al and yanked him off; throwing him aside and ignoring his disheveled, half dressed appearance.

Ready to go after the second man, Ed turned around to chase him away when he heard an angry growl behind him. A large hand grabbed his left arm, swung him around roughly. Not expecting the man to react so quickly, Ed found himself caught, but only for a moment.

The man was far taller than him, stocky and strong. But his breath reeked of liquor and Ed could tell his movements were not as swift and sure as they should have been. His attack was off, far too wide. Whether it was because he was slightly drunk or because of being completely caught off guard, it didn't really matter. Ed didn't give him a chance to recover.

With all the rage he could muster Ed attacked back, beating that evil man as far away from Al as he could go; dodging random strikes in a relentless ease and offering several of his own in return, until finally one direct punch landing squarely in an already broken nose sent his enemy reeling. The man fell to the ground, groaning and holding his face in both hands.

Ed stood over him for a moment, breathing heavily as the rain continued to fall. It wasn't fatigue that ate at him, it was anger. Strong, almost overpowering anger.

That was HIS family. HIS brother. And if it was the last thing he did both these men would pay. His hand still wrapped in the coat of this one, he prepared for another strike.

A shrill whistling ripped through the rain behind him; Ed sharply turned, his eyes catching a flash of silver barely a breath before it was on him.

A knife, heavy and bold, slammed with a dull thunk against his shoulder, tearing through his clothing but left no other mark on him, gravity pulling it down to the ground.

Ed caught the blade before it fell; flipped it through the air before deftly catching it by the hilt. Shoving the man in his grasp to the ground, he stepped away from him and took a moment to study the weapon.

The knife was well over a foot long and its edges sharpened with skill; the hilt well crafted and supple. A comfortable weapon, to be sure. But Ed looked at it with no hint of praise in his eyes. Blood splattered the entire length of its silver edge; streaked with the trace color of Al's life.

The man who had thrown the knife had jerked in confusion when the blade had not imbedded itself in Ed's arm, and now was watching Ed like he expected him to grow another head.

Ed's eyes rose fast and sure to lock onto the ones watching him. If this man wanted to play, he would play.

His attacker backed up a step, his eyes growing wide with sudden fear. He got no further.

In less than two seconds Ed had bound for him, no longer willing to wait. Three feet away Ed flipped forward onto his hands and kicked wide, his left booted foot making direct contact with the man's temple. His lithe body arched with no mistake; none of his years of training even remotely forgotten. He heard a sickening crunch and a grunt. Springing back, he landed safely on one knee. There was no need to look back, his aim had been true; he felt it and knew it. The man slowly fell to his knees, then to the ground, a fat gash on the side of his face. He did not get back up.

Ed rose slowl, clenching the knife still in his hand tightly. As the rage within him bubbled suffocatingly high, Ed threw the knife down with a yell and watched the blade shatter into a thousand pieces against the stone; the shards scattering over the alley. Ed looked away from them, unable to stand the sight of the blood on nearly every slice of blade.

Ignoring the man several feet away, Ed turned and jogged over to Al, falling to his knees at his little brother's side. He studied with horror the terrible condition of Al's body and bit his tongue against another cry. Shrugging out of his coat, Ed covered Al with it, pulling out the sleeves and tucking them around Al's still form, returning his dignity where it belonged.

For a moment, Ed could not help but place his left hand against the side of Al's cheek, registering how drastically cold the flesh was. His hand slipped down below Al's jaw, searching for a pulse, any life beat.

"Come on Al, tell me you're still with me..." Ed pleaded with his brother's unresponsive form.

There it was. Weak, thready, and irregular, but it was there. Al was still alive. Ed released the breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

Leaning over so his body was directly over Al's, Ed immediately gathered the still form into his arms. He held Al's head against his chest, wrapped his arm around bloodstained, shivering shoulders. Al did not wake, but Ed could now feel his brother breathing, light and shallow though it may be. That was too close. Too close and they still weren't off the ridge yet.

The sound of footsteps brought him back to the present. Ed swung his head around, his glare full of ire.

"You take one step toward him and I swear I'll kill you where you stand."

The man stopped, though he did not look as though he was afraid of Ed. Rather, he seemed to welcome it.

Without taking his eyes away, Ed carefully laid his brother back down, this time unbuttoning his vest and folding it loosely beneath Al's head. He rose and turned slowly, his deadly gaze falling to his remaining enemy, now fully dressed again, who stared back at him with similar hate.

"I'm still here!" the man growled at him, as if he had been insulted by Ed's lack of attention. As though to prove a point he took several steps forward, advancing aggressively.

Ed didn't give him a chance to get any further. He dashed at his attacker with almost inhumane speed, finding an easy grip against the man's neck, and barreled him into the brick wall at his back. The man struggled against him, slipping a little on the rain slick ground; Ed dug his right hand closer, tighter against his unprotected jaw. Gasping a little, the man jerked his eyes between Ed's face, and his arm, for the first time looking unsure, even confused, but always angry.

"You're no match for me." Ed hissed at him in a deadly whisper. "Doesn't matter how many times I chose to warn people like you, you won't figure that out until after you've eaten the ground."

"Your right hand... it isn't real, is it?" The man ignored the threat, choosing to focus rather on the unusual position he had discovered himself in; an arm he knew not to be human holding him back.

Even in the pounding rain Ed's white shirt was thick enough to protect him, the color of his metal arm never showing through. The only way general people ever even found out about it was through touch. His striking gold eyes darkened.

"No, it's not. Neither is my left leg. You think I could knock out your friend as easily as I did with it as flesh and bone?"

Cold dark eyes rose to the heavens, staring up at the angry sky, and to Ed's astonishment began to chuckle, unable to shake this sudden irony.

"Caught and taken down by a crippled kid. I really am losing it."

Ed growled at the insult, punching the man hard with his left fist. "You'll pay for that comment, and everything else!"

His posture straightened, his head tilted forward in sudden calm, yet his eyes still full of haunting anger.

"Why?"

It wasn't a question, it was a demand.

The man mumbled something; inaudible through the rain.

Ed shook him harshly. "Tell me now – why did you hurt him?!"

The man lowered his gaze and glared at him through the darkness, his eyes glinting in the flashes of lightning. "Because I hate him."

Not again.

The absurdity and the familiarity of that statement set Ed back a moment, the concept of hating something or someone so much for such a silly, stupid reason still well outside his own realm of rational acceptance.

"You tormented him for such a ridiculous reason?!"

"How can you look at him and not see what he is?" The man looked down at him, his face galvanized by much hatred; he glanced at Al's fallen form, reviling against the very sight yet still somehow itching to return and finish him off. "He's a traitorous demon, here to take away everything that we have worked so hard to create until there's nothing left of our country! Any man can see that power in him and his destructive, murderous kind."

"You are no man." Ed jerked the man back to face him, and him alone. "You are a filthy, gutless coward. My brother has been through enough in his young life to ever want to destroy someone else's, and especially to be some kind of toy for the twisted pleasures of a sick fool like you. He's a human being, just like you!"

"He is not like me!" The man raged. "He is different, he does not belong here, he is a masquerading devil, he-"

"Shut up!" Ed slammed him back against the brick again. Lightning crashed over them. "He's no different from you! He's made of flesh and bone and blood, he lives governed by the same laws as you and one day he will die the way you will. I will not let you justify your actions! The only difference between your life and his is how you chose to live it, and for some idiotic reason that doesn't count nearly as much as what you both look like! But he is my brother and I will not let you treat him this way!" Ed grasped the man by his jaw and jerked his head to look down; down at the body of the one he had nearly destroyed. "Look at him! Look at what you've done!"

"I can see!" The man growled at the handling, biting at the words he spoke. "And I can tell you that even if he lives he won't be anything like whatever you remember him to be, he'll turn into someone new. His true nature will come to the surface and you will see what he really is. I only assisted in opening the door, and through him more men will realize the same things about themselves. Not doing so will only prolong the inevitable!"

"No! No one is meant to live that way!" Ed slammed him back against the wall a final time. His voice sunk to a deadly whisper. "He will not change. I swear it, to him and to you. He will not be left with what you have done to him. I will not let him suffer alone. I will help him!"

The man laughed, sneered at the spoken promise. "You can heal wounds to the body, but it is not possible to do the same for the soul. You think you can do the impossible? You are not a god and you are not him. I know how he will act... should he live. How can you help him when you don't know how he will react, when he won't listen to your words, and even fights your touch?"

"At least with me, he will have the freedom to chose his own path, rather than be forced into one he has been because of you. I don't have to explain myself. I know my brother's soul better than you think and I know how to take care of him. Beyond any scar his soul is pure, and through it I will help him find his way."

The man was indignant, either that or his skull was an inch too thick. "You won't save him."

Ed glared back with equal veracity, and without hesitating any longer, drove the edge of his right hand into the neck of his oppressor. Dark eyes rolled back, and the man finally fell to unconscious darkness, his body crashing to the ground in a heap.

"Watch me."


TBC...